Day 2: Just a Dream

"It isn't real." She whispers "It can't be real." She cries, but she see through her own lies.

My arms were prickly with a wave of goose bumps coming over me, and my heart stopped only to hear nothing as I searched frantically for Kyle. I screamed his name I walked back on to the road, my eyes glaring about like a mad women. I stopped while my heart jump started, slamming into my chest; across the street I saw it. It was no outlet mall it was the mall and still was teaming with business. The parking lot was just over the shoulder of the road, scattered out with cars everywhere parked and crashed, while rotted corpse lingering and loitering around waiting for something. My mind clicked to the gruesome fact as men walked with guts spilling from gashed wounds, and fellow lady now painted and plastered with blood and many others flesh they were waiting to eat. My brain felt fuzzy as it took in the world. Stuffy thoughts filled my mind, I couldn’t think, all at once I remember the blood thirst monster, the people abandoned . . . people like Kyle; like me.

“This isn’t real.” I whispered to myself crouch on the ground hugging my knees like a child. “This can’t be happening.” My eyes became blurry. “It’s not real. It’s not real. IT’S NOT REAL.” I said sternly, but I look up seeing co-workers, fellow students, elders and teachers proving my lie. This was real.

 I stood up on the road and look at the Empire Mall, what if Kyle really was in there . . . I can’t just charge in there, how many more were in there, what if one is faster, if people are in there would they even help. I was going to walk away, run in any other direction then that mall . . . I was . . . but then the thought came in an anxiety fear for Kyle, what if he’s in there?

I took a heavy needed breath and looked back down at the road, cars were crashed and scattered about a few even already abandoned. Along the side of the road near a drain for rain water I saw a rod of hope; it wasn’t much just a rod from a construction sight that was left behind all rusted now. That small pole though gave me something other than my bare hands to keep distance from me and rabid teeth. I held it tight in my hands, its rusty flakes clinging to my palms as though I was the life saver. I look up to the small hill leading to the parking lot if I was going to do this I can’t be reckless, and worst of all no mistakes. Slowly I scaled the small mound with an army crawl, laying low and keeping some distance from me and the curb to the parking lot. After giving a moment to thank god for a giant parking lot keeping me unnoticed from the dead I gazed around the lit up zombie snack shop. Poking my head up, the first story windows became clear red jewel paid for in blood. Behind it herds of its painters stumbling and moaning complaints for more blood spilt arts. My eyes were focused on the un-dead’s massacre-masterpiece, my eyes started to lose focus my heart coming up to my head banging and bashing as if it had already given up. Closing my eyes tight, I breathed somehow some way; I breathe.

 Opening them once again a glowing face shined a sign of hope, it wasn’t masked with blood nor doomed with falling flesh, and it wasn’t even Kyle. Just a face of a healthy Asian boy sitting in a window his eyes brown like a dark chocolate dream locked onto my fearful greens.

“He’s alive.” I whispered disbelief in my mind, but my heart sang with rejoice. Sudden realization brought me back to the new cannibalistic world; he was hidden in a room separate from the Empire mall but locked away in a storage house. Was he alone?  Is he safe? Am I safe with him? Thoughts became shattered and shards tinkled down to the abbess of a haunting scream, a female frightened scream. My body trembled, blood stopped in its tracks, all while my eyes recorded her death. She tried to shove one after another only to be grabbed and torn, first it was tearing at her shirt ripping it to a carless shred. Once a thin smooth waist was now gutted and scooped out like a bowl of ice cream Sunday, leading up to her bare chest  chewing of her sensitive first all while she screamed bitterly. I nearly dropped my only defense, run a whisper in my mind came; get away from here, this was a mistake this WILL be your last little mistake. I would’ve turned around and ran from this nightmare . . . only to encounter another only to become a part of this damned army, then I heard the truck beam a roaring pride of life. I watched as two men drove away wild fear in their eyes as they passed the hollow girl, she screamed and yelled to them only to watch a cloud of dust cover her bloody gap.

I can’t leave him, not like she was left not like they abandoned her. I knew this was the best chance I’d get, jumping up from my hill side I ran to the only hopeful thing in the lost mall. I was a yard away from the storage house, the little boy watching me his eyes never looking narrow I was soon to understand why. A man stood tall wide shoulders, massive hands and his head far above mine, he looked down at me his eyes nothing more than wild, mad, but most of all empty. He opened his mouth letting a rain of blood fall to by face, again panic would hold me as my twig arms flung the little rod only to gash the man with an upper cut. His heave titanic shadow fell along with his heavy body crashing to the asphalt, my breath grew staggered and my eyes blurry as slowly his trunk arms lifted up his massive stone chest.

I didn’t stay to see the mark I made, I ran to the storage room banging and clanking begging and pleading while the boy just stared as frightened and shaky as I. A deep groan mumbled in the massive cannibal behind me, its reflection in the boys windowed showed he was on his feet, I stopped pounding looking desperately in the boys eyes knowing no help will come from him with this gladiator wanting me. My heart silenced my ears, my eyes growing dark, breath staggered with freezing winds even though it was early spring. It lifted up its arm his hand a claw, my legs shook and locked then gave through as his massive arm slashed past my silk hair I tighten my grip on the rod while regaining control. I wasn’t getting in the storage room with tank like this, I spring my legs up cutting past his chest and chin the sudden whip in the old rod sent the body to the ground vibrating and groaning. I didn’t even hesitate to force the metal rod into its already eyeless socket; I shook as I watched a gifted river of blood filled the imperfections along the concrete land. A cold hand big and strong like the lifeless mounds on the ground nearly cause me to cry out for a quick bloodless end, but a copy of the cold strong hand pushed down on my mouth dragging me into the darkness of the storage room.

Kicking and muffling the cold hands dragged me into the dark of the unknown; I fought franticly until I saw the little boy chasing after me not to save but to join.  My heart slowed my body grew cold, not just because of the ice hands but of the flashing memory of her awful scream, my eyes became a gate way for the salty streams I didn’t even try to dam them back.

 A sudden light from an old brass desk top destroyed the darkness around me and the few unknown watchers, the room had a few sleeping bags, mini fridge, computer upon its desk, and a green sofa. I look back to my “rescuers” the little boy hid behind another man he was tall and old he could’ve been my dad by his age. The man had a five-o-clock shadow, his shoulders were wide and he short black hair. Yet still with his look of protection from wise grey eyes the little boy slipped away from him handing me a kiddy-sized Sunny-D, I felt the crustiness in my throat realizing it’s been a while since I drank something. Chugging the childhood drink down my throat I felt the burn from its warmth and not to mention citric acid burned the sides of my cracking throat.

After the bottle was as dry as what my throat had been I looked up to the little boy, “Thank you.” My voice was weak and nothing but a difficult whisper. The little boy ran away from me back behind the older man. He starred at me as if waiting for me to turn into another person ready to tear and rip him and the little boy apart, then I realized it’d make sense if he was. My arms grew prickly and bumpy as a chill flowed down from my brain freezing my eyes solid wide, making my breath cold and slowing my heart to a hauntingly fearful beat; maybe I should be more afraid of him then the hungry dead outside.

Finally he broke the tension only to sting a deeper shard of this frozen fear into me, “What do you want?” his voice was a quiet but deep and rumbling his hands big enough to strangle me with just one palm. My arms shook as I tried to hold the rest of my shivering body up, his eyes showed no sympathy no help offered and no help asked.

I could’ve answered his question in my state of fear simply and meaningless . . . something changed something about my near death experiences I’ve “enjoyed” today, something about watching all known innocents and civilization vanish as fast as our daily lives changed the meaningless answers. I look back to the man my fear freezing the flames over my sandy through making it hard to say the words “I want to wake up.” My vision became a blur the prison of ice melted into the warm liquid flowing down my scratched up cheeks, the shivers and timers fell into a standstill “I just want to wake up.”

Author's Note

Hope you enjoyed it.